Method and Apparatus for Securing Personal Electronic Device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an apparatus for securing personal electronic devices to the human body. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a suction cup member to securely and removably attach the apparatus to the personal electronic device, a ring member threadably inserted through a pilot hole in the non-cup end of the suction cup, and a lanyard or tether threadably inserted through the key ring.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS.

This application claims the benefit of Applicant's prior provisional application, application No. 61/347,478 filed on May 24, 2010.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to devices used to tether cell phones and personal electronic devices to the human body.

BACKGROUND

Cell phones and personal electronic devices become smaller and more powerful every year. Unfortunately, rapid advances in processing power have not been accompanied by advances in durability and impact resistance. Even short falls can damage a cell phone beyond repair. To avoid this damage and the resulting costs, there is a need for a universal, simple, and safe method of carrying and using cell phones and personal electronic devices.

Existing methods and devices have a variety of shortcomings. Carrying a cell phone in a pocket, purse, belt clip or backpack fails to protect the phone from damage during use. Cell phones are easily dropped during use, especially if the user is walking or otherwise distracted. The fall from ear height may be fatal to the phone.

A variety of companies manufacture form fitting protective cases for cell phones and personal electronic devices. While these cases may offer a degree of impact protection, they also have a variety of shortcomings. First, cell phones are not waterproof and form fitting protective cases rarely prevent water penetration. Cell phones are dropped into liquids with surprising frequency.

Second, form fitting protective cases are neither universal nor economical. Consumers need to purchase a new form fitting case with each new phone. Producing a form fitting case is expensive for the case manufacturer as well. Cell phones may change size and form factor with every new model, and new models may be offered several times per year. Size and form factor related information is often kept secret prior to release. Once a manufacturer has measured the dimensions of a new phone and produced a new form-fitting case, the manufacturer will have a very short window of opportunity to recoup their design costs before a new cell phone model is released with new dimensions.

Third, existing methods do little to protect the phone against loss. Cell phones are small and easily misplaced. A form fitting case may increase impact resistance, but does nothing to protect against loss.

There is a need for a simple, economical, universal device that firmly secures cell phones or personal electronic devices to the user. The current device provides such a solution, in part, through the use of a suction cup secured to a lanyard or tether. The suction cup securely bonds to the phone or electronic device, and the lanyard may then be comfortably worn around the neck or otherwise attached to the user.

There are many benefits to such an apparatus. The phone may be used without removing the suction cup or lanyard, thus reducing the likelihood of loss or damage. The phone may be worn externally and not muffled by a purse or pocket. The device described herein is nearly universal; it may be used with any electronic device with a smooth rigid surface.

Furthermore, it allows users to prominently display their phones or personal electronic devices as status symbols. The suction cup secures the phone from only one surface, generally the rear surface, leaving the view of the front and sides of the phone unobstructed.

Suction cups are a well known in the art of securing objects to glass and similar smooth surfaces. However, once attached to the smooth surface of an electronic device, the prior art does not teach convenient methods for users to grasp, wear, or hold the suction cup. A suction cup, by itself, cannot be conveniently held in the hand or worn on the body. The present invention solves this problem by incorporating a lanyard or similar tethering device into the suction cup.

Although the invention is described in relation to a cell phone, it is noted that the invention may be used with any personal electronic device. For example, the invention may also be used with portable MP3 players, cameras, remote controls, or video game controllers, among others. While the invention is often described as including a “lanyard”, this term is meant to include lanyards, tethers, straps, strings and other restraining devices of any length or material. The lanyard may also include various closure mechanisms and size adjustment mechanisms. The lanyard need not be neck length, but may also refer to a wrist-band design, arm-band design, a palm-wrapping design, a ring-like finger-wrapping design, or other a variety of other attachment mechanisms.

SUMMARY

In the preferred embodiment, the device involves a lanyard 6 attached to a suction cup 2. The suction cup may be secured to a smooth surface of a cell phone 1. Once attached, the user may wear the cell phone around his or her neck without fear of losing or dropping the phone. The user may make calls, take pictures, or otherwise use the phone without removing the lanyard.

The suction cup 2, when secured to a cell phone, creates a bond of sufficient strength to support a cell phone 1 under normal operating and standby conditions. The suction cup has a cup end and a non-cup end. In the preferred embodiment, the non-cup end contains a pilot hole 7 of sufficient size to accept a ring such as a keyring.

A ring 3 is threaded through the suction cup pilot hole 7. In the preferred embodiment, the ring is a 15 mm key ring.

The lanyard 6 is secured to the ring 3. In the preferred embodiment, the lanyard is a loop of sufficient length to wrap around the user's neck and allow the suction cup to sit comfortably about mid chest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side-view of the suction cup member and ring member of the apparatus near a cell phone.

FIG. 2 illustrates a three-quarter view of the apparatus as attached to a cell phone.

FIG. 3 illustrates a three-quarter view of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side-view of the ring-style embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a side-view of the suction cup member and ring member of the apparatus near a cell phone. The suction cup includes both a cup end 4 and a non-cup end (or suction cup “head”) 5. The cup end 4 is made of a flexible material.

When the cup end is pressed against a rigid, smooth surface, such as the rear surface of a personal electronic device, the cup end creates a partial vacuum between the cup and the cell phone. This partial vacuum securely attaches to the apparatus to the cell phone. That is, the suction cup member 2, is capable of creating a bond of sufficient strength to support the weight of at least a cell phone 1 under normal operating and standby conditions.

The head of the suction cup member has a side pilot hole 7 of sufficient size to threadably accept a ring. The pilot hole may be between 2 mm and 30 mm in diameter.

A ring 3, such as a keyring, is threadably inserted through the suction cup pilot hole 7. In the preferred embodiment, the key ring is a 15 mm key ring. This ring may provide a movable attachment point for the tether.

FIG. 2 illustrates a three-quarter view of the apparatus as attached to a cell phone. The device involves a lanyard member 6 attached to the suction cup member 2 by means of the ring member 3. The suction cup removably attaches to any smooth rigid surface of a cell phone 1 or similar electronic device. Once attached, the user may comfortably wear the cell phone around his or her neck, wrist, arm or other body part. This greatly reduces the chances of dropping or losing the cell phone. The user may make calls, take pictures, or otherwise use the phone without removing the lanyard member from around the user's body, and without removing the suction cup member from the phone, thus further reducing the risk of lost or dropped phones.

The lanyard member 6 is threaded through the key ring 4. In the preferred embodiment, the lanyard is a loop of flat, flexible material of sufficient length to wrap around the user's neck and allow the suction cup member to sit comfortably at the user's mid chest. The lanyard member may also include a standard clip or buckle allowing the wearer to remove the cell phone from the lanyard without removing the suction cup from the phone. In the preferred embodiment, the lanyard is a flat nylon cord 125 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide.

The lanyard member may take many forms, and is not necessarily designed to be worn around the neck. The lanyard may be made from a variety of materials, including leather, cotton, elastomers, nylon or other synthetic clothing fibers, or any combination thereof. The lanyard may also include a size adjustment mechanism such as a Velcro strap portion.

In one embodiment, the lanyard is between 3 and 12 inches long. At this length, the lanyard may be worn around the wrist instead of the neck.

In another embodiment, the lanyard may include a length of plastic snap-tabs, similar to those found on a baseball cap, allowing for the adjustment of lanyard length.

FIG. 4 illustrates the ring-style embodiment. In this embodiment, the suction cup head 10 and pilot hole 11 may be enlarged until the pilot hole itself is of sufficient size to accept a human finger 9. The cup end 8 of the suction cup remains available to secure the phone. This embodiment allows a user to securely grasp the cell phone with a single digit, while leaving both thumbs free to input data into the cell phone. In such an embodiment, the pilot hole may be adapted to comfortably accept a human finger, for example, by enlarging the diameter of the pilot hole to the approximate diameter of a human finger, and by selecting a material for the suction cup head that is softer to the touch and sufficiently elastic to comfortably accept a finger. Acceptable materials for this purpose may include silicone. Such a design is particularly well suited for video game controllers.

The pilot hole may be adapted to accept any finger or thumb. In another ring-style embodiment, instead of enlarging the head, it is substantially replaced with an elastic band adapted to comfortably accept a finger or thumb.

In anther ring-style embodiment, the pilot hole is adapted to accept more than one human digit. In this embodiment, the pilot hole is not circular, but takes the shape of the outline of a plurality of partially overlapping circles. This embodiment allows the wearer to comfortably fit a plurality of fingers into the device to improve grip and stability. 

1. An apparatus for securing personal electronic devices to the human body comprising a suction cup member and tether member, wherein the suction cup member contains at least a cup end and a non-cup end, said cup end capable of creating a partial vacuum when pressed against a smooth, rigid surface, and said non-cup end is capable of securely accepting the tether member; and the tether member is flexibly and securely affixed to the non-cup end of the suction cup member.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, the tether is adapted to be comfortably and securely attached to the human body.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, the non-cup end of the suction cup member contains a pilot hole adapted to accept at least one human digit.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, the non-cup end of the suction cup member contains a pilot hole between 1 and 10 centimeters in diameter, said pilot hole being adapted to comfortably accept at least one human digit.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a ring member, and wherein; the non-cup end of the suction cup member contains a pilot hole adapted to accept the ring member; and the ring member is threadably inserted through the pilot hole, securely and pivotably joining the ring member to the suction cup member; and the tether member is securely fastened to the ring member.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pilot hole is between 2 mm and 20 mm in diameter.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the diameter of the cup end of the suction cup member, measured at the largest cross section, is between 20 and 500 mm in diameter.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein, when pressed against the smooth, rigid surface of a personal electronic device, the suction cup member creates a partial vacuum with sufficient adhesive characteristics to create, between the surface and the apparatus, a bond that will not be broken by forces applied to the electronic device during normal use.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tether member is a flexible lanyard between 25 and 200 cm long.
 10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tether member is a lanyard is between 5 and 25 cm long and capable of being worn around the wrist.
 11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tether member includes a snap-tab closure mechanism.
 12. An apparatus for tethering a personal electronic devices to the human body comprising, a suction means for creating a partial vacuum between the apparatus and the personal electronic device; and a tethering means for attaching the apparatus to the human body.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the tethering means is a hole in the suction means capable of comfortably accepting at least one human digit without compromising the adhesive power of the suction means.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a ring, and wherein the suction means contains a pilot hole capable of accepting the ring; the ring is threadably attached to the suction means through the pilot hole; and the tethering means is secured to the ring.
 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the tethering means is a lanyard between 25 and 200 cm long.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the tethering means is a lanyard is between 5 and 25 cm long and capable of being worn around the wrist.
 17. A method of building an apparatus for tethering personal electronic devices to the human body comprising, providing a suction cup with a cup end and a non-cup end; wherein the non-cup end contains a pilot hole; threading a ring through the side pilot hole; and attaching a lanyard to the ring. 